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Intel to Release WiMax Chip
david writes "According to CNET News, Intel plans to release their first WiMax chip on Monday. 'The world's largest chipmaker sees in WiMax a potential profit source that it hopes will become as popular as its shorter-range cousin, Wi-Fi. Intel also believes it will stimulate computer sales in emerging markets where high-speed Internet access is unavailable or prohibitively expensive.'"
Are there any major suppliers of WiMax services yet?
wdd
Can I have what they're having please?
After reading the wiki link (Which is like a big ol ad for Wi-Fi) I have some concerns.
It's supposed to be backwards compatible yes? But wi-fi G and B have far lower ranges (let alone A) so I'll likely be blanketted with several wimax networks which my card won't be powerful enough to respond to. How long will my auto handshake take to resolve that?
Also since it doesn't support Ad-Hoc are we sure this won't be run by ISPs and not leave us a chance to run personal networks?
Third I know there has been a breakthrough in power consumption and moving to higher frequencies makes data transfer less power hungry but these kind of distances seem to make wi-fi in hand helds and laptops impractical, it would be nice not to wire things but wiring is probably a better solution then hamstringing 802.11b when that has the possibility of universal deployment and replacing the cell networks.
Who's going to want to put a wimax antenna in a subway? Or on a train?
Let's hope this isn't going to stamp out the old standards...
Don't get me wrong I'm looking forward to it, just some concerns.
Engineered, yes. But question is, can it be hacked so as for private people in a town to set up a mesh- style self regulating network? Now that would be cool. Or imagine a school with a good netconnection. They could allow their kids to keep on surfing from home.
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
It's a different market. WiMax is last mile, WiFi is hotspot.
Your house or local cafe might be conneted via WiMax to the ISP, and then there's be a WiFi AP transmitting that around the local area.
Combine WiMax and VoIP in a small handheld device and you've basically re-invented cell phone. But you'd be able to add features way easier. Put in a server and update the "phone" software and now youv'e got email (or text messaging or paging or a teleconference, or streaming audio/movies, or the web) on you cell.
If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
Rural areas will benefit the most from this. People that normally can't get cable or DSL high speed will now be able to get on high speed Internet at a, hopefully, lower cost than unreliable (and expensive) satellite.
The gear will be expensive - yes, comparing to WIFI, not really compared to UMTS/WCDMA. And if you think that some of the interested will be cellphone operators which already have the antenna poles and the backbone network, it might be an interesting investment, allowing much higher bandwiths for a fraction of the cost.
802.16a includes NLOS and, as you known, it also allows the use of MIMO systems, advanced coding techniques and smart antennas which can boost NLOS coverage - manufacturers expect NLOS coverage up to 5km from the BS.
And some of these techniques are easier/cheaper to implement in WiMAX which is OFDMA than in WCDMA
OFDM is also much less subject to intersimbolic interference than CDMA and probably this is why there are several trials to provide wideband to trains using WiMAX as an uplink to the in-train WIFI network.
WiMAX spectral effiency will be around 3-4 Mbps/Hz, but the way the bands are used is very flexible, especially with subchanneling, you can have subchannels starting from 1.75 MHz bands. Band reuse migh be very efficient with smart antennas and beam-forming/steering techniques.
You won't really have to compete with WIFI: WiMAX can function as an acess network to WIFI hotspots (instead of relaying in wired uplinks).WIFI can't really be used for broadband access such as DSL, as it has no QoS services you can't make a SLA with it.
With cable it won't be able to compete, but with DSL I think it has a chance, especially in countries where loop unbundling is problematic.
Intel selling WiMAX chipsets migh be a hell of a boost to WiMAX, just remember all the hype with Centrinos and WIFI. If you tell someone "use WiMAX, it's really cool" they'll ask you how to? it'll sure make a difference if you send them to buy a new card or if you just tell them that the laptop they've just bought is the only thing they need.